NMCA Joliet Super Bowl Same Day Coverage 2011

: DMC Racing’s Dave DeMarco recently put the finishing touches on some upgrades to his wicked Buick Regal Outlaw 10.5 machine for battle in the Super Street category. DeMarco made a nice straight hit in testing this morning, lefting early to a high seven-second lap.

: With cool temperatures, a stiff tailwind, and a racing surface with a history of setting records, the assault on the five-second zone will likely end right here this weekend. While Pro Street competitor Vinni Demieri will be right in the midst of it, he’ll be looking for a better weekend than he had last year more than anything. During one of the vening qualifying sessions, Demieri found himself upside down in the shutdown area with a mangled ’68 Camaro that ended his season.

: Dave Hance and the New York Motorsports team are here with their twin-turbocharged Extreme 10.5 entry sporting a big set of meats under the rear fenders for some Pro Street action this weekend. Hance and company are said to be testing out some new suspension components during one of their rare quarter mile outings.

: We’re underway this morning under suprisingly cool mid-60 degree temperatures with test and tune action, and while that’s underway, we’ve been browsing the pits to see who’s here to do battle this weekend.

: After taking the recent Maryland race off, Jeff Lutz is here in Joliet with his turbocharged Grand Am in Pro Street.

: Danny Shemwel had all kinds of trouble at the hit on his testing effort this afternoon, roasting the hides and belching flames out of the cowl hood on his Xtreme Street GTO.

: Mario Orsini has his turbocharged ’57 Chevy here in Joliet competing in Pro Street, as well. Orsini had troubles just off the starting line on his hit this afternoon and will be back for qualifying, slated to begin at 3 PM.

: Chuck Samuel and the Viscardi Boyz crew got a good look at the side of their race car as Alex Viscardi took a hard left turn toward the centerline near the 1000′ marker, collecting the finish line blocks before reigning the turbocharged machine after a wild ride.

: Chris Rini and the rest of the Pro Street contingent will be gunning for the fives this evening when we open qualifying. During testing, Rini got out of the groove near half track and wisely lifted.

: This isn’t what you want to see before qualifying even begins. Dave Hance broke a valve and subsequently cracked the cylinder head on his test hit, forcing the New York Motorsports crew to hightail it to a local shop to have the head repaired in order to continue their weekend.

: Dan Stevenson has Pro Modified legend Charles Carpenter in his corner this weekend, and that definitely makes these NMCA “rookies” a player this weekend.

: Jason Mitchell had a fuel line come loose during his morning test hit and had a fire on the top end. He and the rest of his crew are busy replacing the burnt hoses in the front of the car and hope to make this evening’s second session.

: Enzo Pecchini is currently fourth in Xtreme Street qualifying with an 8.09 at 169 mph.

: Scotty G and Bill Trovato provided the opening round fireworks with a pair of impressive backfires right at the hit in Xtreme Street. Jamie Stanton currently sits #1 with a 7.88 and is trailed closely by Bob Kurgan at 7.89.

: Chris Rini and Alex Viscardi were both no-shows in the first session, leaving the door wide open for a couple of racers. With a recent 6.00-second lap at Budds Creek, Joe Dunne we certainly the favorite, but neither he nor Dan Stevenson could get through the front half of the track under power. Jeff Lutz closed out the round atop the field at 6.13.

: Jason Lee made another of his patented 330′ wheelstands and was forced to lift, rolling through to an 18.21 to anchor the field after one round of qualifying. Newcomer Brad Medlock nailed down the quickest run of the round with a 7.61 and is closely followed by Andy Manson at 7.63 and Sean Lyon at 7.69.

: Robbie Blankenship charged to the top of the pack in the combined Hot Street and Pro Stock category, running a nice 8.44 at 154.49. Charilie Booze Jr. is right there in second with an 8.47.

: Alex Viscardi and the Viscardi Boyz team are thrashing in the pits to complete an engine change after losing the primary bullet on the earlier test pass. Water from the engine, which would be clearly seen in the earlier photo, got under the tires, sending Alex on an exciting ride.

: Darkness is upon us here at Route 66 Raceway and with a current air temperature of just 66 degrees, horsepower should be in abundance in the second round of qualifying.

: Mike Murillo continued where he left off in Maryland with another great performance to lead the combined Super Street and Pro Outlaw category with a 6.66 at 222.11 mph. Street car legend Nick Scavo is a tenth back at 6.76, while Tony Nesbitt is third at 6.77 and Tim Essick sits fourth with a 6.86.

: Jeremy Gillam made the best run of the opening round of Mean Street qualifying with a 9.904 that just edged Alan Von Ahnen’s 9.919 and Don Baskin’s 9.940.

: Jim Jarrett currently elads an impressive field of Nostalgia Pro Street racers with a 7.277 from his ’69 Camaro. Joe Bucaro is right behind with a 7.28 and the nautrually-aspirated Mustang of Chuck Demory Jr. is third 7.35.

: Longtime NMCA racer Randy Adler awoke the troops last night in Pro Street when he JUST missed the fives when he uncorked a 6.001 at 237.00 mph. Dan Stevenson was on track to turn the feat on his attempt but stepped off the loud pedal before the stripe, posting a 6.08 at just 209 mph. Pro Street boasts a stout field of 15 cars here this weekend.

: Bob Kurgan recorded the quickest pass in Xtreme Street history last night when he put a 7.81 on the scoreboards to lead the field into today’s final round of qualifying.

: Brian Hicks has his monstrous 526-inch twin turbo Dodge Challenger here this weekend in the Super Street category and left a trailer of smoke in his wake on a 7.24 second, 208.07 mph lap this morning, but the track surface was clear and we continued on.

: That’s David DeMarco on the left side of your screen, and that’s DeMarco’s hood sailing a couple stories in the sky as the crossed the stripe in his Buick Regal. David will start eliminations from the third spot in the 10-car field with a 6.770 best.

: This is the last thing the New York Motorsports crew wanted to see after thrashing all afternoon and evening yesterday to get ready to race today after trashing a cylinder head in testing. David did however record a 6.37 at 215.00 mph to capture the eighth spot in the order. We officially have a full field of Pro Street cars here this weekend, as David Merritt was the only car that didn’t make the show.

: Alex Viscardi made the best run of the round in Pro Street to jump all the way up to the second spot behind Randy Adler with a killer 6.08 at 238.09 mph, the fastest speed of the weekend.

: Charlie Booze Jr. was unable to unseat Robbie Blankenship from atop the Hot Street/Pro Stock field, meaning he’ll start eliminations from the second qualifying spot with an 8.47. Keith Courtney and Don Bowles trail with runs of 8.54 and 8.55.

: Phil “Corndog” Smith and Scotty G were both amped for a great race, as smith was last off the line with an .013 reaction time, but his 8.15 was more than enough to handle Guiler’s 8.29. Jamie Stanton was low for the round at 7.96 in his defeat of John Warren. Also advancing was top qualifer Bob Kurgan, who will meet Enzo Pecchini next round. Bill Trovato downed Danny Shemwell and will meet Dan Kroll, while Stanton and Smith will square off.

: Jeff Colletta made the quickest run of the opening round in Nostalgia Pro Street with a 7.31 defeat of Shawn Baker. Jim Jarrett advanced and will face Andy Vogt, Joe Bucaro, who went 7.32, will meet Skip Baskin’s gorgeous new Camaro, and Chuck DeMory Jr. will have lane choice over Pete Ricart.

: Don Bowles’ Maverick broke on the burnout, although rather unconspicuously, but a redlight by Ben Mens handed the wounded “Coal Digger” the win. Robbie Blankenship advanced and will recieve the bye in round two, while Keith Courtney will face Mike Curcio and Charlie Booze Jr. will meet Bowles, if indeed he can return.

: Don Baskin had low ET of the first round in Mean Street, downing Mike Winters wth a 10.13. In round two, he’ll meet Alan Von Ahnen, while Gary Duncan will have a bye into the final on the other side of the ladder.

: Sean Lyon reset his own record in Drag Radial with an amazing 7.533 @ 188.15 blast to take out Johnson. Medlock would win over Cavallo with a 8.630 to a 9.506.

: This photo pretty well tells the story of the evening. After persistent sprinkles that weren’t quite enough to halt the racing, the skies opening up just as Super Street Outlaw was rolling out from under the tower and after an hour delay, the call was made to pull the plug. We’ll start tomorrow with the first round of Pro Street and continue through the order from there.

: Dave Pierce and Rick Blaisedell brought the car to their foot as both pointed every way but straight. In a pedal contest, Blaisdell was able to get his Corvette hooked up first and blasted on throug for the round win.

: Kevin Mitchell, who reeled off a 6.87 yesterday in the opening round, got all kinds of sideways while local favorite Nick Scavo marched through to advance on to the next round.

: It doesn’t happen veyr often, but Drag Radial top qualifier Sean Lyon blew the tires off at the hit and that was all Brad Medlock needed as he sailed through to a 7.72, 177 mph win. In another matchup of heavy hitters, Jason Lee never had any steam as he could only watch Andy Manson sail to a 7.72 to advance to the next round.

: In the second round of Xtreme Street, Enzo Pecchini strapped a holeshot on #1 qualifier Bob Kurgan and was never headed in a big upset win, 8.06 to an off-pace 8.26. Enzo will meet Bill Trovato in the semfinals, while Jamie Stanton will take a competition solo into the final.

: In the semis of Nostalgia Pro Street, Joe Bucaro will meet #1 qualifier Jim Jarrett, while Jeff Colletta and Chuck DeMory Jr. will face off on the other side of the ladder.

: In the Hot Street/Pro Stock category, Keith Courtney edged Mike Curcio 8.68 to 8.79 after an .024 to .045 holeshot advantage for Curcio, while Charlie Booze Jr. bested Don Bowles 8.54 to 8.64. Courtney will face Robbie Blankenship (above) while Booze will take a free trip into the money round.

: Dan Stevenson won an exciting semifinal matchup with Alex Viscardi on a holeshot as both drivers took the scenic route to the finish line, 6.41 to a quicker 6.40. In the other half of the semis, Randy Adler aid down another crushing 6.0 with a 6.06 to handle Chris Rini, who left a trail of smoke in the shutdown area.

: The Nostalgia Pro Street semifinal had some controversy, as Joe Bucaro lit the red bulb but had a time slip that showed a green light, nonetheless Jim Jarrett advanced to the final with a 7.32, where he’ll meet Jeff Colletta, who advanced on a red light from Chuck DeMory Jr..

: Bill Trovato will have lane choice over Jamie Stanton in the Xtreme Street final his 7.99 defeat of Enzo Pecchini outrunning Stanton’s solo 8.37.

: Alan Von Ahnen and Gary Duncan will race for all the marbles in Mean Street. Duncan earned a bye in the smis, while Von Ahnen had to work for his pass to the final, beating Don Baskin on a holeshot, .013 to .089 at the tree and 10.03 to 10.00.

: Another local doorslammer lagend, Nick Scavo, joined Adler in victory lane as he captured the Super Street/Pto Outlaw crown with an easy 10.20 idle down the quarter mile after Brian Hicks’ impressive run to the final ended with a dead race car when the tree dropped.

: In a matchup of a couple orange ’69 Camaro’s, #1 qualifier jim Jarrett went wire-to-wire in Nostalgia Pro Street. Jeff Colletta sawed the tree down with a near perfect .002 reaction time, but encountered trouble downtrack and slowed to an 8.63 as Jarrett cruised to a 7.35 at 187.52 lap.

: Brad Medlock certainly got the attention of the Drag Radial field as he made the final round with some impressive performances in his first race with the NMRA and NMCA, but it was Maryland winner Andy Manson collecting his second win in the class with a strong 7.74 at 177.63 as Medlock slowed on the top end to an 8.53.

: Alan Von Ahnen drove his ’79 Mustang to the Mean Street crown over Gary Duncan after grabbing the advantage at both ends of the racetrack, .061 to .070 at the tree and quicker 10.46 at 131.86 to 10.67 at 127.44.

: The Pro Street final was exactly the matchup everyone hoped for, as the two strongest cars all weekend lined up for all the marbles. Cementing a stellar weekend at his home track, Randy Adler sailed to a 6.30 at 228.54 mph win as Stevenson lit the red bulb in his Camaro and coasted through.

: Bill Trovato and Jamie Stanton squared once again for the Xtreme Street title and this one was all Trovata, as he got off the line first .029 to .056 and outran Stanton 8.02 to 8.03 in a stellar drag race.

: The NMRA nabbed another win as Pure Street champ Brandon Alsept launched wheels up and ran a 10.23 that Mean Street winner Alan Von Ahnen could not catch with his 10.05.

: NMCA representative Don Baskin downed Robbie Blankenship in a spectacular heads-up race on a holeshot, an 8.56 edging out a quicker 8.54.

: Xtreme Street winner Bill Trovata lined up alongside Real Street winner Dan Baumann, and at the stripe, Trovata was able to run Baumann down after a second and a half head start, running 8.01 to a 9.44.

: This one brought down the house as Manson blew the tires off at the hit and it appeared that the young Jeff Lutz Jr., who was the only racer to sign up on the NMCA side, was headed for a huge upset victory. But just past half track his machine erupted in a ball of flame and death smoke and Manson blew back past for the win, 8.11 to 10.79. Lutz is out of the car and okay, but the same can’t be said for his engine.

: Nostalgia Pro Street representative spotted EFI Renegade winner Brian Mitchell just over a one second advantage, but was late off the line and had a big wiggle at mid-track, allowing Mitchell to cruise on by for the win for the NMRA, 8.53 to a 7.47.

: Mike Murillo rolled back to the line to wage battle for the NMRA in Pro Outlaw 10.5, while Dan Stevenson is back on after Randy Adler encountered mechinical woes and could not return. Murillo has a 6.63 to 6.08 handicap. And chalk up another one in an exciting pairing, as Murill leaves first with an .037 light and both drivers blast on through the scoreboards with Murillo running 6.71 at 221 mph to Dan’s off-pace 6.31 at 228 mph.

: Due to an issue with the original runoff where John Leslie Jr. mistakenly got a .500 tree, the Factory Stock winner and Nostalgia Super Stock champ Douglas Poskevich re-ran their run for the ring. But like the original result where Leslie went red, Poskevich once again took the win as Leslie spun the tires and didn’t have enough steam to get the win, a 12.01 downing an 11.11.